Omaha hi Rules

Omaha Hi/Lo poker is very similar to Texas Holdem, at least in terms of the structure and layout of the betting rounds.  The only major difference is in how the final hands can be shaped, how many hole cards are dealt, and that Omaha Hi/Lo vies to split the jackpot into two, thus exacting two hands from each player.

The game is started by the posting of the blinds.  The small blind, which is a bet equivalent to half of the minimum stake amount is posted by the player to the immediate left of the dealer, who incidentally is marked by the button.  The big blind, which is a bet equivalent to the total minimum stake amount, is posted by the player to the immediate left of the player who made the small blind.  Each game the dealer button moves over one position to the left, so that all players will eventually be responsible for posting the blinds.

When the blind bets are made, the dealer gives every player four facedown cards.  The first betting round then begins, which can consist of folds, check (matching the blind bet), and no more than three raises (not to exceed the minimum stake amount for each raise).  The next phase of the game is the Flop, which is one of the most vital moments in the game.  It is when the dealer turns over three cards to serve as community cards.

Betting round #2 follows the Flop, which is carried out the same way as round 1, except that players can call (pass on making a bet, raise or check) if no bet has been made ahead of them.  This is followed by the Turn, which consists of adding a fourth community card to the center of the table.

Betting round #3 is next, which is carried out in the same fashion as the previous round, except that all bets and raises must be at the maximum table limit.  After the betting round is complete, the last community card is added to the community pile, which is called the River.

Betting round #4 follows the River, and is the last betting round of the game.  All remaining players at the end of the round will reveal their hands in what is called the Showdown.

This is where Omaha Hi/Lo differs slightly than Texas Holdem.  Instead of using any combination of hole cards and community cards, as the case is during Texas Holdem, players must use three of the community cards in combination with two of their original hole cards when forming both the Hi and Lo hands (the same cards can be used over between the Hi and Lo hands) The highest ranking hand wins the Hi pot (half the pot total) while the lowest low hand must be composed of cards valued at 8 or lower (down to Ace) in order to win half the pot.  An Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5 is the lowest Lo hand possible.  If there is no lo hands formed, which is often the case since there has to at least be three community cards valued between Ace and eight, the Hi hand winner takes the entire pot.

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